Project Management and Virtual Teams Essay Example for Free

Project Management and Virtual Teams Essay Athabasca University Abstract Due to advanced communication technologies, globalization and outsourcing most of the project management teams are based on groups of individuals called virtual teams who work across time and space using communication technologies. Members of virtual teams may be employees of same company from same country, or they can be contractors, suppliers and company employees around the globe. Managing projects using virtual teams have some advantages and disadvantages. Also several studies have been done to try to determine the factors that are positively co-related to the effectiveness of virtual teams (Schwalbe, 2011). To manage virtual teams successfully in project management, the project manager must manage these factors successfully and also minimize the impact of disadvantages. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual teams in project management and outlines the factors that are positively correlated to the success of projects based on virtual teams. The paper also outlines some of the recommendations to successfully manage the virtual team in information technology projects. Keywords Globalization, outsourcing, virtual teams, video conferencing, telecommuting, Project Management, Trust and relationship, Advantages of Virtual teams, Disadvantages of virtual team. Introduction Imagine that you are a project manager in a multinational organization and managing a project to upgrade the server operating system and your team members are from different countries with different cultures and working in different time zones. To complete the project successfully that is based on virtual teams, project manager must understand the advantages and disadvantages of managing virtual teams and factors that positively affect the team members. Today most of the project management teams are based on virtual teams whose members work across time and space using communication technologies and project managers cannot rely on previous methods of project team management where they were able to build trust between team member by social interaction, face-to-face meetings, and direct observations of fellow team member commitment. Literature Review Virtual teams do have some advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages outlined by Kathy Schwalbe are: 24/7 availability of workers increasing competiveness and responsiveness, lowering the cost of project as many virtual team members do not need office space and support, providing more flexibility and expertise as project managers have access to the talent around the globe and increasing the work/life balance for team members by eliminating fixed office hours and the need to travel to work. (Schwalbe, 2011). Communication and trust are the most important factors that influence the virtual team performance. Saonee Sarker and others discussed the â€Å"theoretical linkages among trust, communication, and team member performance in virtual teams†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001). To prove their argument the researchers identified and tested three proposed models (additive, interaction, and mediation) describing the role of trust in its relationship. The results of the study indicated that the â€Å"mediating† model best explains how communication and trust work together to influence the performance of virtual team members. In simple words them study proves that â€Å"a communicative individual will be more likely to be trusted and will therefore be more likely to be a high performer†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001) Radostina K. Purvanova reviewed experimental literature and emerging field research on virtual teams. Author compared the â€Å"results from both type of literature and found that experimental literature has largely reported negative results for virtual teams, whereas ? eld investigations and case studies of real virtual teams employed by business organizations report positive outcomes for virtual teams. According to the article although results reported by experimental versus field studies are quite different, author concludes that both literatures have revealed negative attitudes toward virtual communication media. Advantages of Virtual Teams The main advantages of virtual teams include: The biggest advantage of virtual team enjoyed by an organization is the associated cost savings. The organization can save huge expenses on real estate, office spaces, utility bills such as gas, electricity, water etc. and executive’s travel. Team members can work from anywhere and anytime of the day. They can choose the place they work based on the mood and the comfort. You can recruit people for their skills and suitability to the job. The location does not matter. There is no time and money wasted for commuting and clothing. Physical handicaps are not an issue. Another advantage is the labour laws, some organizations prefer to have virtual teams because of strict local labour laws. Since the members span the time zones, there could be different team working on the same project 24/7, so when one member sleeps there will be another one somewhere else who would start work where the former had left. This shortens the product development time as well as faster response time to demands in both global and local markets. Disadvantages of Virtual Teams Disadvantages of virtual teams include: Since team members do not frequently meet or do not meet at all, the teamwork spirit may not be present. Some people prefer to be in a physical office when working. These people will be less productive in virtual environments. To work for virtual teams, individuals need to have a lot of self-discipline. If the individual is not disciplined, he or she may be less productive. The cultural difference between the members of virtual teams gives rise to number of conflicts. For example, while an employee from one part of the world would write a straightforward email describing a bad situation; this would be perceived as impolite by a member of the team from other part of the world. This would lead to conflicts, mistrust and difficulties in fruitful collaboration which is so vital for the success of virtual team functioning. These challenges are also precipitated by the absence of non-verbal cues so intrinsic to face-to-face interactions. Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical interactions. Most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. In today’s society where job is an important social force for most of us because many of our workplace colleagues also constitute our close friends, this gives a not-so-good feeling of social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress. In the virtual environment, it is better to communicate, clarify, and confirm everything to make sure that all members have the same understanding about the task at hand. This produces of ton of paperwork and files that could quickly fill your archives. Factors that positively affect virtual teams Succession planning and promotions involving virtual team members are important factors and if managed properly, virtual team members will feel that they are receiving recognition and credit and as a result they will be satisfied and their productivity will be increased. (Leonard, 2011) Since team members are not communicating face to face, constructive team and individual feedback early and often becomes more important and if managed properly can avoid many problems before hand. Trust between team members and project leader is an important factor that can affect the performance of team members. One important way to build trust between team members is effective communication. The more they communicate with each other and with project more they build the trust. Well defined and documented team process also important which saves a lot of time for especially new team members to find answers to their questions related to policies and procedures. A team member selection and role preference is also important factor to successfully manage the virtual teams. â€Å"Dr. Meredith Belbin defined a team role as a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way. 15 It is important to select team members carefully and to form a team where all roles are covered. Each virtual team member must also understand his or her role(s) on the team. † (Schwalbe, 2011) Discussion and Conclusions Organizations such as IBM, Microsoft, Whirlpool as well as SMEs are reaping the benefits of virtual teams for some time now. It has been a well-recognized fact that virtual team is not a passing tide but it is here to stay. Virtual teams are rising in numbers nowadays and even small technology companies are now adapting virtual team practice for recruiting the best people from all over the globe and reduce the cost. As outlined in previous sections, virtual teams do have advantaged and some disadvantages as well. To benefit from advantages and to minimize the impact of disadvantages a project manager can focus on factors that positively affect the virtual team’s performance. As indicated by previous researchers, increase in trust, comfort level and communication effectiveness leads to better project success. All of the above discussed disadvantages can be overcome by following a different leadership approach, trainings, greater role clarity and effective communication strategies. Also earlier discussed factors that affect virtual teams, if managed properly can result in a successful project. In addition, the companies using virtual teams can minimize their operating costs and maximize the profit margins. Additionally, the employees working in virtual teams are at advantages when it comes to working in their own home, own time, and reduction of commuting costs. Therefore, organizations should look into setting up virtual teams for different tasks whenever possible. To reap the benefits of virtual teams in projects and minimize the impact of disadvantages virtual team managers should manage the outlined factors properly and should also follow best practices outlined in next section. Best Practices When running virtual teams, some of the best practices include: An instant messaging program can be used to create a sense of presence amongst members of the team. Chat is a good way to have side conversations during meetings to gain consensus, confirm understanding or ask questions. Quick questions can be asked through instant messenger as a substitute for popping into someone’s cubicle. Services for syncing files, bug tracking, project management, source control, web conferencing, conference calls, screen recording, usability testing and so on. A virtual phone system allows mapping of phone extensions to any phone number. Advance features allow callers to dial by name, get placed into a phone queue or get recorded answers back from a phone tree. In-person meetings are also a good option; it helps build team cohesion and trust and can help people get to know each other on a deeper level. But they are by no means critical. Bringing everyone together once a year may cost a little, but it’s still often cheaper than paying local salaries and rent, and increases the efficiency of team.

Pauls Understanding of Holy Spirit Essay -- Religion, Bible, Romans 8

Coming to class today did you guys see anything beautiful? Maybe it was a car. Perhaps a work of art made of glass. Maybe it was jewelry or it is was a flower. If it is really beautiful, you tend to look at it from every direction to appreciate each aspect of it. It just feels good to take in all of the beauty, and satisfying to your senses. Well, I feel that way about the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit leads in our life with an emphasis on His physical direction, how the Holy Spirit leads us spiritually is simply beautiful. Wouldn’t you say? Are you being led by the Spirit? Are you in the Spirit? Does the Spirit dwell in you? It is certainly important for you to be able to answer yes to these questions, but just saying so is not sufficient enough. There is, quite simply, many unscriptural ideas about what these phrases mean. Many people wrongly believe that the Holy Spirit's influence on a person is a "mystical revelation" which overpowers human intentions and that we discern right decisions from wrong ones based on feelings which the Holy Spirit puts directly into our heads apart from Biblical revelation. Many say that the way they feel carries much more weight than the written word. If one can honestly answer "yes" to the questions above, it is only because he has chosen to yield to the teachings and urgings of the Spirit that have been provided to us Christians by God's providence in His Holy Scriptures. You are not really led by the Holy Spirit if you are not living according to His teachings in the gospel. The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, shares a great deal of information to us about this subject in Romans 8:1-17. Romans 8 may be described as falling into three distinct but closely related categories. Vers... ...ristian has a choice. He can either live in the realm of the flesh or of the Holy Spirit. The Christian must choose between these two worlds, the way of the flesh, or of the way of the Spirit. Those who walk according to the flesh are condemned to death. On the other hand, those who walk according to the Spirit are led to eternal life. To walk in the Spirit is to have confidence that God is your Father, and that all guidance and strength comes through the Holy Spirit. "I put my mind on Christ and try to listen and obey the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5), the Holy Spirit will give me life and peace (Romans 8:6). If a man is a Christian, he has the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). His spirit has been made alive (Romans 8:10) The Holy Spirit is giving life back to his body, bringing it back from the deadness of sin (Romans 8:11) and bring abundant new life in Christ."(Graham)

Game shows Essay

Game shows were dwindling down and were a thing of the past, but recently they have been making a sharp comeback. Television entertainment is now being focused on game shows such as â€Å"Twenty-One,† â€Å"Greed,† and â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. † I for one am obsessed with these new shows on television. They bring the fun back into television and makes people want to win. In the pages following, many facts, reactions from the public and comparison’s to other game shows will be discussed as they relate to the recent popularity of the game shows. As a result of the increase in game shows, there is a greater quality that is brought back into television for the audience. New values and creativity have been sparked by the demand for these game shows. Regis Philbin, host of â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,† has started this game show craze off with a bang. The first five airings of his show averaged nearly 29 million viewers (Bauder, â€Å"ABC’s Game Show†). In January, â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire† averaged an extra 5 million viewers than it did in November (Bauder, â€Å"ABC’s Game Show†). In fact, this craze sure doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Host Regis Philbin knows how well it is doing because he is looking at getting a raise, at least two times the amount he is making now. Philbin is currently accepting a $100,000 paycheck for each episode of â€Å"Millionaire† that airs, which is currently three times a week. He wants to double his income so he will shortly be looking at around $20 million a season. His income is already up in the same range as movie stars Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and Jim Carrey (Sikles). Host Philbin is able to make such a big salary because the game shows do not cost much to produce. They are much cheaper to produce than sitcoms and dramas (Consoli). Since these shows have become so popular, television stations would be crazy not to produce them. â€Å"Millionaire† was the first game show that led to all of the major networks creating their own version of an interactive game show. As a result, some stations are getting better ratings off of these popular game shows than they do from their regular weekly dramas. The game shows have gotten positive feedback by bringing families closer together. Families have said they now feel as if there is a common ground between them and their teenagers. Bauder goes on to explain, â€Å"Experts say it has revived the concept of families watching TV together after a decade’s worth of forces pulling them apart† (Bauder, â€Å"Millionaire†). Parents have stated that instead of everyone going to their own separate rooms to watch television shows made for their age range, everyone gets to play along with shows such as â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. With the questions ranging from easy to difficult it gives everyone a chance to play along at their own intelligence level. Four-year old Walker was especially delighted when he correctly completed the name of the children’s game â€Å"Duck-Duck Goose† (Bauder, â€Å"Millionaire†). Although many people say they have watched more television than normal since these shows have started, it is said not to be a bad thing. â€Å"It’s fun to be able to actually enjoy something together† (McKinney qtd. in Bauder, â€Å"Millionaire†). Another reason parents like watching â€Å"Millionaire† with their sons and daughters is because it stimulates conversation. By watching these shows they have something to talk about with their kids; in some cases they feel this is an easier way to bring up some â€Å"harder to talk about† topics (Bauder, â€Å"Millionaire†). With this big break in bringing families together, NBC’s top entertainment executives have said that establishing new family shows are their top development priority. The public has reacted toward these shows tremendously because they contain questions in which the average person knows the answer to. My whole apartment got so excited the first time we watched someone get the million dollars, I can’t imagine how the winner felt. The game shows are exciting and are interactive for everyone. There is a sense of addiction to these game shows because of the drama and suspense, which is why they are so successful. Great Britain who originated â€Å"Millionaire† was upset with the United States’ version of the game show because the questions on America’s version were not very difficult. Great Britain creators thought the questions in the newer version should raise in difficulty. Britain’s creators were unhappy and were thinking about filing a lawsuit. Another show that is being imported from Sweden is getting ready to air in the United States this summer. This show will be on CBS and is called â€Å"Survivor. † It will take 16 contestants and drop them off on a deserted Malaysian Island with camera crews following them. Every three days the players will vote to expel one of the members of their group until there are only two contestants left. Then all the players except for the two left on the island will be able to choose which contestant they want to walk away with the $1 million dollar prize. The contestant with the majority votes wins. Internationally, game shows are also in demand and in popularity. In comparison with the game shows from Great Britain, United States’ has it easy. The shows in which viewers are drawn from Great Britain are much harsher. Their quiz questions are much tougher and their contestants have to be more daring in some cases. In one game show in Great Britain, people go on the show to face their biggest fears. They work as a team and each member has to do something that frightens them. For example, one contestant was scared of spiders and she had to get a clue for her team off of the back of a tarantula. In this case she never ended up getting it because it terrified her too much. Her teammates were hurt overall. Another example of a game show from Great Britain involves contestants getting hooked up to a bungee cord and then they jump from a high bridge. While in the air, they have to throw a ball into a Santa’s hat in the water. If the contestant successfully gets the ball in the Santa’s hat then that person wins. It is apparently a tough thing to do because not many people end up winning. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire† is definitely breeding new shows in the United States. â€Å"Millionaire† is creating theme shows, by having football focused questions around the time of the Superbowl and movie-themed questions around the time of the Academy Awards. This has proved to be highly successful and more exciting and fun for the viewers (Bauder, â€Å"ABC Takes Lead). The success of â€Å"Millionaire† has led to other stations providing the same type of entertainment to their viewers. â€Å"Greed† has become a big game show since it aired shortly after â€Å"Millionaire† got high ratings. This show has a $2 million jackpot and gives its contestants the opportunity to challenge their other teammates if chosen by the terminator. Although one wrong answer from any team member is all it takes to lose the $2 million for the team makes this show more difficult to win the jackpot. The television game show â€Å"Twenty-One† has also been revived from the 1950’s. Being taken off the air years ago due to some scandals, NBC has brought it back and it has regained itself in the television market (Gray). Other game shows in the works of coming back on the air is â€Å"The $64,000 Question† and possibly â€Å"What’s My Line† by CBS (Gray). I believe these shows might be able to make it for awhile as long as the TV station can dish out what the audience demands of them. Once the viewers have had enough of the craze, then these game shows will most likely go off the air for another fifty years or so until they get revived again by another curious generation who wants to win big. Next time, the stakes will most likely be higher than $1 million and they will raise the curiosity and greed of the fresh viewing audience. Personally, I would like to see many more game shows on the air because they are very exciting and fun to watch.

To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes

To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated by Jenna Louise Scout Finch, an adult woman recalling her childhood. Because of this layered narration, the six-year old Scout often sounds precocious in her understanding of life and her elevated vocabulary. This technique allows Lee to explores her complex, dark, adult themes through the innocent lens of childhood. The following To Kill a Mockingbird, which demonstrate the novels multifaceted style, address key themes such as racism, justice, growing up, and innocence. â€Å"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.† (Chapter 2) Scout learned to read at a young age thanks to her father, Atticus. On the first day of school, Scouts teacher, Miss Caroline, insists that Scout stop reading with Atticus so that she can learn correctly in school. The six-year-old Scout is taken aback, and in this quote, she reflects on how the moment influenced her. Scout grew up with the sense that reading is akin to breathing: an expected, natural, even instinctual human behavior. As such, she had no real appreciation, or love, for her ability to read. But when faced with the threat of no longer being able to read, Scout suddenly realizes how much it means to her. This quote also represents Scouts growing awareness of the world around her. As a child, her worldview is understandably narrow and limited to her own experiences (i.e., believing that reading is as natural as breathing). But as the narrative progresses, Scouts worldview evolves, and she begins to see how race, gender, and class have shaped her perspective and life experiences. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. (Chapter 3) In this quote, Atticus offers Scout advice for understanding and empathizing with other people. He gives this advice in response to Scouts complaints about her teacher, Miss Caroline, but the quote really encapsulates his entire philosophy on life, and its one of the biggest lessons Scout must learn over the course of the novel. The simple but wise advice is challenging for young Scout to follow, as her childlike perspective can be quite narrow. However, by the end of the novel, Scouts increased empathy for Boo Radley demonstrates that she has truly internalized Atticus advice. â€Å"There are just some kind of men who—whore so busy worrying about the next world theyve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.† (Chapter 5) Lee crafts a subtly iconoclastic and liberal tone in the novel. Here Miss Maudie is complaining specifically about the local Baptists who disapprove of her garden because it supposedly represents pridefulness that offends god, but it is also a general admonishment to anyone who seeks to impose their own sense of propriety on other people. This concept forms a part of Scout’s evolving understanding of the difference between what’s morally right and what society insists is correct. â€Å"Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn theyre not attracting attention with it.† (Chapter 9) Atticus is often perceived by his neighbors as an unqualified parent, in part because of his gender—in 1930s American society men were not seen as having the proper emotional and domestic skills to be single parents—and in part because of his bookish, mild-mannered nature. He is, however, a very smart and loving father and a man who has an almost supernatural understanding of the childish psyche. When Scout begins using profanities as a novelty, his reaction is mild and unconcerned because he understands this is just part of Scout growing up, testing boundaries, and play-acting with adult things. This also demonstrates his understanding that Scout is intelligent and verbal, and is excited by forbidden and mysterious vocabularies. â€Å"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.† (Chapter 9) In the beginning of the novel, Scout’s concept of justice and right and wrong is very and simple (as is appropriate for a child of her age). She believes it is easy to know what is right, she is always willing to fight for it, and she believes that by fighting she will be victorious. Her experiences with racism, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley teach her that not only is right and wrong often more difficult to parse, but sometimes you fight for what you believe in even if you are bound to lose—just as Atticus fights for Tom even though he is doomed to fail. â€Å"Mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy... but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why its a sin to kill a mockingbird.† (Chapter 10) The central symbol of the novel is the mockingbird. The mockingbird is considered sacred because it does no harm; its only act is to provide music. Several characters are obliquely or explicitly identified with mockingbirds throughout the novel. The Finches are linked through their evocative last name, for example. Most notably, when she finally sees Boo Radley for the innocent, childlike soul he is, she realizes that doing any harm to him would be like shooting a mockingbird. â€Å"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, youll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and dont you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.† (Chapter 23) Atticus has immense faith in the fundamental systems of America, in particular the court system. Here he states two beliefs that define him: One, the supreme confidence that the legal system is impartial and fair; two, that all men are deserving of the same fair treatment and respect and those who would treat you differently because of your race or social position are unworthy. Atticus is forced to admit the former is not as true as he would like when Tom is convicted despite the robust defense Atticus provides, but his faith in the latter remains by the end of the book. â€Å"Scout, I think Im beginning to understand something. I think Im beginning to understand why Boo Radleys stayed shut up in the house all this time... its because he wants to stay inside.† (Chapter 23) Jem’s quote towards the end of the story is heartbreaking. In his teen years by this point, Jem has seen the bad parts of his neighbors and is disappointed and disturbed by the realization that there is so much violence, hatred, and prejudice in the world. His expression of empathy for Boo Radley is also significant—like his sister, Jem has progressed from viewing Boo as a phantom and an object of fun to seeing him as a human being, and, even more importantly, being able to imagine Boo’s motivations for his actions and behavior. â€Å"I think theres just one kind of folks. Folks.† (Chapter 23) This simple line, spoken by Jem at the end of the novel, may be the simplest expression of the fundamental theme of the story. Jem and Scout’s adventures throughout the story have shown them many sides of many different people, and Jem’s conclusion is a powerful one: All people have flaws and struggles, strengths and weaknesses. Jem’s conclusion is not the starry-eyed faith of childhood, but a more measured and mature realization that no one group of people is better—or worse—in general than any other.